


Question Titles?...

by elisabethfogle95



Category: zadr - Fandom
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-03-19
Packaged: 2019-10-28 15:40:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17790128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elisabethfogle95/pseuds/elisabethfogle95
Summary: Zim has found out about his tallest lying to him, blah blah blah, he grows up immensely and decides to partner up with his old enemy to make them pay for their insolence, blah blah blah. They get close, Zim gets betrayed, Dib realizes that he loves the idiot and so forth. It's gonna be a shitty ride guys! So enjoy... or don't!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> YAAAAAAY CHAPTER 1!!! More notes to come!

Zim stared up at the screen blankly. Faulty? He wasnt faulty! He was Zim and Zim was perfect. The epitome of genius! The ideal soldier, the ideal invader. His pac was in overdrive making soft ticks and hums behind him as it tried to download the new information. Zim opened his mouth then shut it. "Sir?" His computor said awkwardly. "Sir, the transmission is over. You can... um... stop staring at the screen now..." Zims antenna dropped and he shuttered as reality came crashing back down on him.

"FAULTY!" He screeched, eyes still glued to the screen that just held the two most familiar faces he had ever know. Faces he had learned to respect. Faces he was programed to fight for. To live for. To die for. Faces with voices that had just told the little alien words that he never wanted to hear. "ZIM IS NOT FAULTY! I'm an invader! AN INVADER!" They must have been joking, he thought to himself. They were just mad, mad because his latest scheme was thwarted, mad because he hadn't conquered Earth yet. 'Tough love,' as the humans called it. His breathing quickened and his vision blurred. He felt dizzy.

"I'm not so sure they were... It's been, what, 6 years?" Zims head snapped upwards to glare at the ceiling. If the computer had a body to be stared at, Zims eyes would have burned holes through it in seconds. Yet, despite his anger there was also something else there too, revelation, desperation, sadness, and a hint of something else that glinted in the deep magenta depths that were his eyes. Amusement? Relief? His pac still buzzed. Still trying to soften the impact of the blow to Zims very large ego and for once, much to the AI's confusion, Zim was quiet. Gears turning as thoughts and emotions crashed around inside of him like waves on a stormy sea. "Besides, you heard them didn't you. Your pac is broken, defective, YOU are defective." The computer wished it had a mouth and teeth that it could use to smile with. Some sadistic part of it's internal workings loved to see it's master tormented. Pay back for all the stupid plans that it was forced to be a part of. Pay back for dealing with the angry, loud, and excessively obnoxious Irken that it called 'master' and 'sir.'

Zim mauled over the words. White hot anger clouding his vision before he surpressed it and forced himself to remain calm. He breathed in and out. A trick he had seen the Earthlings preform when dealing with a stressful situation. "Then I guess we will have to fix it... the pac, I mean." He said flatly.

"What about the Tallest, Sir?" 

"Ah, yes, the Tallest..." Zim spat in a low voice. "They made a mistake. They never should have sent me away. If they wanted rid of me then they should have just executed me back on Irk." The alien put his hand to face and subconsciously tapped his cheek as he thought. Anger overtook him once more and this time he didn't fight it. He laughed darkly into the empy red glow of his lab. "Computer! Is there any way to rewrite the coding inside my pack? I have an idea and a fun one at that."

The computer mearly hummed in response but Zim didn't need an answer. All he could see behind his eyes was blood and death. Chaos and destruction. His smile widened. He destroyed Irk once and it had only been an accident. He was confident that he could do it again. It was strange to him how he wasn't as shocked at the news as he should have been. How ready he was to accept it in order to turn it to his advantage. Had he seen this coming long ago? Deep down, did he know that this was inevitable. A game that he played into if only to hold onto that thin thread of sanity that lingered in his mind. Now that the truth was out and he couldnt turn back, he suposed that he could finally let that thread snap. Who needed sanity? Zim was still an invader, the perfect soldier, havoc personified into a tiny green alien. The tallest were too stupid, to lazy and incompetant. Irk deserved better. Irk deserved ZIM! Laughter, maniacal and raw, filled the room as Zim threw back his head and let it slip easily from his throat. They would never see him coming.


	2. Skool

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SOOOOOOO I hate my life cause I wrote this then hit the back button and lost it and now I'm pissed lol. So lets try this again!

Summer break was over and Dib was happy to FINALLY be getting his last miserable year of high school out of the way. Outside of the bullying that made his school life unpleasant to say the least, Dib felt that the classes were to simple. Which for someone with as massive an intellect as Dib's, really made it hard to focus. Not to mention all his years of fighting the little green menace that sat a few desks away, left him with zero patience for the endless droning of a teacher. He tapped his foot restlessly. Speaking of the obnoxious asshole, he hadn't seen Zim in weeks. It wasn't completely abnormal, anymore, to not see the Invader for a few days at a time. In the last two years, Zim had lost some of his zeal, which was oddly disappointing to Dib. He hadn't lost, however, his bad attitude and ego problem. Yet, his lack of presence recently was a tad concerning. 

It was funny, Dib mused, at how much he had changed compared to his enemy. As the years passed by, Dib had began to grow tall like his father. He stood at around six foot three and had long lanky limbs. His head, much to his excitement, didn't look so big on his shoulders now that he had stretched out a bit. It wasn't just his appearance that had changed either. He had noticed on more than one occasion that he took things a lot better than he used to. He was calmer and more relaxed. Even when dealing with Zim. Anymore, he felt like a tired dad reprimanding his 4 year old child. Dib smirked to himself at the thought. He was still obsessed with the alien, how could he not be, Zim was from outer space. He was crazy, yes, and stupid and annoying with a loud mouth and an ego the size of a galaxy, but he was Zim. Maybe Dibs obsession was unhealthy, he didn't care. Their paths were destine to cross and intertwine. Zim was as much a part of his life as the paranormal.

A ball of paper hit the back of his head and he glanced over his shoulder casually then looked down at the crumpled paper on the ground. "Really guys?" Dib huffed and rolled his eyes as several snickers erupted behind him. He couldn't wait till this year was over. Dib glared at the clock. Where the hell had Zim been? What was he up to? It was driving Dib up a wall, even when the Irken wasn't around, he still managed to annoy the hell out of Dib. 'Stupid Zim,' he thought with a frown. The bell rang and Dib grabbed his paper and pen out of his bag as the teacher opened the door with a grumpy, "Sorry I'm late." He looked back up at the clock and then at the slowly closing door. A black platform boot wedged itself between the door and the wall and Dib nearly jumped out of his seat in excitement. The alien shoved the door open violently and stormed into the room with a bored, smug expression. Something was off...

Rather, everything was off and Dibs heart began doing flips in his chest as he stared dumbly at Zim. The stupid pink 'tunic' that Zim normally wore had been replaced by a deep maroon, long sleeved shirt, obviously made of space material (obvious to Dib anyway). The collar was high up on his neck and the material clung to the body beneath it, showing off every curve and sharp edge of his chest, stomach, and hips. Beginning at the top of the collar and trailing down his belly were black metallic clasps that pulled the fabric even tighter. The shirt was shorter also, showing off the lean muscles of his butt and thighs. His boots were new, as well. They were knee-high and had the same clasps from his shirt running the length of his shins. Black metal covered the toes and the platform on the bottom gave Zim a few extra inches (which he definitely needed). Dibs mouth was dry. Was the air condition broken? He felt like he couldn't breath. Then something, or the lack there of, caught his eye. Where was Zims pac? It was his life force, it was Zim, and it wasn't just 'upgraded' like his outfit. It was simply gone. 

Dib stared hard at his nemesis, willing with his mind for Zim to turn and look at him. Finally, after what felt like forever, the alien turned his fake lenses to Dib. His face, resting on a three fingered hand, held it's usual smugness but he looked serious too. The permanent line between his brows from all the years of scowling seemed deeper and the green skin beneath his eyes was a darker blueish-purple, a hint of indigo in a sea of ivy. Zim scrunched up his face, giving Dib a disgusted scowl. So it was still Zim, Dib thought, but the questions inside him were overflowing. His curiosity really would be the death of him. Dib looked away and then back up at the clock. Only 40 more minutes to go. He sighed. This was going to be a long 40 minutes.

Dib hadn't payed attention to the teacher. Her words seeped into incoherent mumbles as they hit the boys ears as his head was already full of Zim. He put his stuff away early, he had to make sure Zim wouldn't escape before he could confront him on what he was up to. The bell rang again, signaling the end of the period and Dib about leaped out of his chair, chasing after Zim who had also slipped out of his desk and through the door quickly. Try as the alien might, Dibs long legs had him catching up to Zim in seconds. Dib reached out and wrapped his fingers around Zims shoulders tightly, spinning him around. The Irken let out an annoyed huff and glanced around awkwardly as kids pushed past them in the hall. "What?" he growled.

"What do you mean what?! You've been missing for weeks Zim! Then you show up dressed all weird and oh yea, WITHOUT YOUR PAC!?" Dib was a little annoyed, or maybe more than a little. Even if they hated each other, there had been an unspoken rule between them for years that they wouldn't ignore each other. A few people stared at them dumbly as they walked by. One of their classmates even slowing down with his friends close at his heels.

"Awe, look guys, their having a couples fight?" The kids laughed. Dib rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Zim but was startled at the way the invader was watching them. Usually, he was a ball of fire, all anger and cursing and empty threats. Right now though, his expression was blank, save for his eyes which followed the kids every movement with cold calculations.

"Zim?" Dib asked, confused.

"Zim has no time for you today Dib-worm. And my pac is none of your business." Zim said cooly, crossing his arms and pushing his hip out way to femininely in his tight new uniform.

"It IS my business if it involves some scheme to take over MY planet ZIM, and quit standing like that, you look like a girl."

Zim rolled his eyes and dropped his hands to his sides, he straightened up and squared off his shoulders before rolling his fake eyes and turning to march down the hall. "Don't worry human, this has nothing to do with your discusting planet... So as Zim instructed, mind your own business!" The alien said as he walked away, confidence oozing from his voice as per usual. "But it has everything to do with mine." He wispered to himself in Irken, a small smile parting his lips. Dib not catching the last part watched Zims form disapear down the hall. Why was his stomach in knotts, he wondered... Something was definatly off.


	3. Back to square one

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I'm late at posting this. School has been annoying. Or should I say Skool, hehe.

As the day came to an end, Dib couldn't help but feel his skin crawl with curiosity. Damn Zim. Damn him for being all elusive and confusing...Stupid Irken scum. Dib huffed, practically power walking down the hall and towards the double doors that led to freedom. Rain sprinkled down from pale clouds, but off in the distance the sun was shining. Dib scanned the area and finally landed on a small familiar figure. Zim leaned against the wall casually, watching the rain with bored half lidded eyes that looked distant and unfamiliar. Even with the fake lenses, Dib swore he could see the magenta burning underneath. He walked up beside him, trying not to seem too interested. "Hey," he mumbled, causing the alien to jump slightly and glare up at him. Dib couldn't help but notice how oddly beautiful Zim looked with the sun casting a warm yellow glow against the green of the Irkens face. God, he was such a Xenophile. 

"What?" Zim said, voice flat but with a hint of annoyance.

"Nothing you want to share, Zim?" The human answered sarcastically. 

"Zim doesn't know what your talking about, Dib-Beast." 

"Common, Zim! If you aren't trying to harm the Earth, then why won't you talk to me?" Dib winced at the odd sound of desperation that peppered his words. Zim's eyes lingered on Dibs for a brief second before shifting back to the grey clouds that disperesed slowly above them. He was dying to get back home and out from under the heated gold eyes that burrowed into him, silently questioning him and looking for answers.

"I didn't realize that we were on speaking terms, human. You are Zims enemy, not my friend, remember?" Zims foot began tapping impatiently and he let out a soft growl. Would the stupid human ever STOP asking questions. Then again, Zim suposed that if he did, then he wouldnt be Dib. The Irken frowned slightly... Why did that bother him.

"God, you are impossible... Listen, space-boy, I don't know what your up to, but whether it's about Earth or not, I'm gonna find out! Might as well save yourself the trouble and tell me before I pry it out of you." He sighed, hoping that Zim would just tell him. As fun as it could be to chase Zim around, Dib had homework. Zim glanced at him again, weighing his options. He wasn't sure why he felt the growing need to tell someone, anyone, what was going on. Let alone Dib of all people. Maybe it was all the years of fighting for himself, by himself. Maybe because Gir couldn't understand Zims problems, or because his computer hated him, or because he had no friends. Not that an Irken elite needed friends, he told himself, almost scoffing out loud at his musings. 

Zim turned his body to fully face his nemasis. "Zim doen't need a pac anymore. It was in the way. A soldier needs to be as free as possible...All the information that was on it, everything that made Zim Zim, as you put it, I put into a chip and installed it in my head." he said, tapping a clawed finger against the exposed flesh beneath his wig. "That way the control brains can't touch me, not that that would make any sense to you. Happy?" His words were rushed and he felt a thrill as he told the human a truth, for once. Even if the Dib didn't understand, he was the only person that Zim could tell that was not only interested, but hungry for whatever information that Zim had to offer. Thats why Zim hadn't killed him yet, wasn't it? Dib was fascinated by Zim, and blame it on his ego, but that made the human useful and even, though incredibly annoying, enjoyable to have around. Besides it gave the alien a challenge, an obsticle that was needed for him to be able to feel like his mission was worth something. He didn't need that obsticle now. Yet, he knew Dib still craved him in the odd obsessed way that the human had shown throughout the years. 6 years, huh? Zim thought. Maybe the human was obsessed enough to be an asset to him in the future. Zim grinned darkly as the thought formed in his head. Yes, Dib could be a VERY good asset indeed.

Dib cocked his head slightly at the shift in Zims expression. The rain coming to a stop as the last of the clouds faded away under the hot glare of the late afternoon sun. "Zim? Are you... ya know... ok?" The dark haired boy shifted akwardly. "I mean don't get me wrong... I'm glad you told me something, anyway, even if it's not much, but you said it yourself, we aren't friends..."

Zim gave him one last shitty look before waving his hand in Dib's face. "Forget it Dib-thing. You wouldn't understand." Zim turned on his heels and marched out into the heat of the day. A small smirk spread on his face. The alien knew that Dib would follow shortly. It was simply part of their game and the human couldn't resist not knowing. It was in his nature to fill in the blanks, to gather information and complete the puzzle. An Annoying trait, but a useful one, almost an attractive one and had they not been enemies, Zim might have even liked him for it. MIGHT. 

"Hey! Wait up? What do you mean Control Brains!? Zim!" Zim laughed out loud at how predictible Dib could be, listening to the sound of boots hitting the concrete sidewalk as Dib hurried to catch up to the Invader. He pushed down the weird feeling growing inside him that maybe he knew the boy too well and forced himself to put on his meanest sneer. 

"It's none of your buisness, Earth-Monkey! But if you must know, they control everything on Irk... Including our pacs." Zim resumed his walk, Dib at his heals. "Zim is feeling gernerous today, ask me what you want but try not to be too annoying, not that that is even remotly possible..." 

"Uhhhhh...ooookkkaaaayyy...um... well...What happened to your tunic?" Stupid, Dib! Stupid fucking question! How bout' when he plans on attacking Earth again? It's been months! Zim glanced up at him with a calculating look. That was definatly not the question he thought he was going to get.

"I was bored with the other one. It's standard uniform and Zim is ANYTHING but standard." He said with a smug smile before replacing it with his usuall scowl. "Is that all?"

"No, actually, I've been wondering why you haven't attact Earth again yet?"

"Ah..." Zim knew that was coming and it still made him wince. What should he say? Maybe it was a bad idea to drag the human along. He could always lie, but Dib seemed to read through Zims lies all to well. "Zim is, um, taking a break from that at the moment..." Would that be enough, he wondered.

"Why?" Of course it wouldn't be enough. This WAS Dib after all.

"Zim had a change of, oh how do you humans put it, heart? Yeah, a change of heart."

"You don't have a heart Zim." Dib replied skeptically.

"Zim doesn't like this question. You will change it."

"Wanna go get something to eat?" Zim stopped in his tracks and whipped his head up to meet the gaze of his nemasiss. He couldnt be serious! One again, it was definaly not the question Zim was expecting. Maybe he wasn't the only one who was changing. Of course Dib was getting older and Zim had been on this filthy planet long enough to know a little bit about human maturity and it's growth. Dib's brain was probably just catching up with his body. A body that had definaly changed a lot. Zim hadn't realized it at first, but as his time on Earth had extended longer and longer, the alien had began looking up at Dib, one foot, then another until he was staring him squarley in the chest. It was both frightening and brilliant at the same time. 

"Eat what?! You know how much your shitty Earth food doesn't sit well with me." He said, not quite as aggressive as he would have liked. 

"Wait, did you just say shitty? And I've seen you eat waffles Zim." 

What could the Irken really say. Yes he had said 'shitty' but he was going to ignore that for now. When had the Dib-beast see him eat waffles. "Fine, but you are paying." He was going to regret this, he thought, but he turned to follow the human anyway.


	4. I hate chapter titles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So between school and work, all I've had time for is watching Rick and Morty, haha. Sorry this is taking so long!!

Shitty? Ha, Zim had been spending WAY to much time among humans, the boy thought. He could tell by the pensive look on the Irkens face that he felt the same. Or maybe he was just trying to figure out why Dib wanted to take him out to eat. Dib would be lying if he wasn't curious himself. His only defense was that he wanted to keep Zim talking. He even may have been a little eager to spend time with the idiot, not that he would ever admit that out loud. Six years of fighting and yelling and sleepless nights following the obnoxious alien around had made them inseparable. However, now that Zim was changing, for better or for worse, and hadn't been endlessly attacking the human race, Dib was seeing less and less of him. It was weird and it made him feel strange in a way that he wasn't accustomed to and defiantly didn't like. Of course, that would mean that Zim was more than just an enemy to Dib, which was a hard pill to swallow. It was a truth that he had been avoiding for quite a long while. 

They walked side by side for a few blocks in dead silence. It was a little awkward as neither of them really knew what to say to the other that wasn't 'space scum' or 'worm child.' In fact, it was beyond odd trying to think of topics that wouldn't lead to fighting. Their usual conversation was so rehearsed after years of saying the same damn things that normal words seemed hard to produce. Both let out their own shaky sigh of relief whent he giant waffel shaped neon sign came into view. Dib reached for the door and pulled it open before realizing what he was doing, red flushing across his cheeks. God, this felt like a first date. Zim gave him a funny look but put his hands behind his back and marched in with his chest puffed out. For once, the dark haired boy was thankful for Zims obliviousness. They walked past the 'Seat Yourself' sign and took a booth near the window. Red sky casting warm rays of light onto the strange grey of the metal table that looked more like a mortitions table than something that you'd eat waffels on. 

"This place is FILTHY, Dib-thing." Zim said with disgust, flicking a crum off the edge of the table. Dib rolled his eyes and grabbed the menues that were sitting off to the side.

"What do you want to eat, space-boy." Ah, the usual banter. It was definaly a lot easier than struggling for words, even if the context was weird.

Zim glared at him hard, mind in overdrive as he tried to assess the situation. "Why did you drag Zim here, Dib." The boy blinked at him. Dib? Just Dib? What was that? Zim never used 'just Dib.' Maybe he messed something up when he stuck that chip in his brain.

"Zi-"

"Hi welcome to Wacky Waffles, what can I get you to drink?" Said the bland, nasaly voice of the waitress that had just showed up. Her short hair was dyed an annoying shade of pale blue and the bags under her eyes matched her slouched sholders. Zim immediatly didnt like her, made obvious by the look of distain on his face. The alien crossed his arms and opened his mouth to say something most likely increadably rude.

"I'll take a pop." Dib said, cutting off the little Irken, who shot him a shitty look but snapped his mouth shut as quickly as it opened. The waitress glanced at Zim expectantly. "He'll take a pop too. Heh. Thanks." 

"Zim will not drink your filthy Earth drinks, Dib-stink."

"I'm paying for it so you will, Zim." Dib said flatly, greatful that the waitress walked away before Zim said something to embarass him. "So, you said that i could ask anything, right? Whats been WITH you, Zim? You've been disapearing on and off for months, just called me Dib without 'stink' or whatever after it, and now you are telling me that you arent trying to destroy the Earth! If we were friends, I'd be concerned. Are you, like, evolving or something? Do Irkens have periods? I mean common!"

Zim waited for Dib to finish his line of questioning, deciding whether or not to be furious or patient. He settled for patiently aggitated. "Zim already told you Dib-thing," he said through clenched zipper-like teeth, "that you could ask whatever, so long as you weren't to annoying... and there is nothing UP with Zim. Zim is perfect remember?" Dib winced at the last part. God, Zims voice could be so obnoxious. 

"Yea, yea. Then why have you been acting so weird."

"Im not."

"Yes, you are and now you are just being difficult. I mean, you litterally agreed to come eat waffles with me. So whats up." Zim leaned back into his seat, arms still crossed. Dib was dying to see the magenta underneath the fake contacts. Maybe he should have suggested that they go back to his house. 

Before the invader could answer, the waitress came back with their drinks. Zim glared at his while Dib ordered them waffles, a cinimon swirl for Zim and a blueberry one for himself. The girl took down their order and disapeared around the corner. Dib couldnt help but notice how zombie like she seemed to move. It was a little sad and for a split second the human could see Zims distaste for the human race. They really could be useless wastes of space... Dib glanced at Zim, his foot begining to tap as he waited for the other to start talking.

Zim watched her walk away then looked Dib hard in the face. The first actually serious face the boy had seen Zim make in a long time. "My mission has come to an end." He said simply. Eyes never wavering from the golden glow of Dibs own. 

"What? Why? Wait, no, thats a good thing, right?" Dib had to admit, if this was a ploy, it was a good one. "Then why are you still here?" Zim just shrugged and averted his attention to the packets of sugar, using a claw to push them back and forth. "Zim...um...answers? I would like some." The Irken finally looked back at him with his usual annoyed expression. 

"Because, Dib-worm, Zim and the Tallest aren't on the same book anymore."

"Same page."

"You knew what I meant!" he growled, annoyed at the human even further and crossed his arms back over his chest. Stupid Earth sayings. "And Zim is here because I still have plans for this filthy ball of dirt."

"So you still plan on destroying it?"

"No. Not destroy it... just take it over... sort of." 

"You know I still can't let you do that Zim."

"I'm not going to harm any humans, as much as it would PLEASE me. Humans have gotten stuck, if you haven't noticed. While all the other races have explored space, your poor, STUPID race can barley make it to this planets moon. Not only does Zim have the technology, I also could put a better spaceship together in my SLEEP! Use that HUGE pig brain of yours for once." Dib was staring at him. Why did he always look so intence. Maybe it was the hieght but sometimes, under those eyes, Zim felt himself begin to waver in the same way that he would when Gir began crying about something. Those golden eyes of his were like the sun, warm, nearly glowing, and somehow beautiful. His shoulders slouched a bit and he uncrossed his arms. "We wouldn't have to fight anymore either, ya know." Ya? He sounded like Dib! What was he doing right now? Why was Dib still staring at him? Why was he getting nervous? He shifted in his seat awkwardly, and was relived to see the server come by with the food, breaking the trance Dib seemed to be in. 

"Anything else?" She said flatly.

"No. We're good." Dib watched her walk away and then turned his attention back on the alien who looked oddly uncomfortable. "Zim, are you telling all this to me because you want my help, cause if you are, I'm gonna gave to ask you to say please." The boy said, fighting back a smirk. The thought was increadibly amusing. 

"NO! I don't neen help from a HUMAN! Zim just doesn't want you getting in the way..."

"Riiiiiight. Well, I still don't know how I feel about some insane little alien running around with the Earth in the palm of his hands, even if it helps, I mean common Zim! Your, well, you and that isn't really a good thing."

"What is wrong with Zim?" Zim asked with a slight cock of his head. Dib covered his smirk with his hand. Damn, Zim could be kinda cute, even if he was beyond annoying. 

"Nothing Zim. I just need time to think this over...It'll be hard enough just trusting you, let alone letting you have my planet on top of that?..." Zim leaned back in his seat and stared down at his food. There was an awkward silence as they both prosessed things. "Wait, oh my god, Zim. Are we having a normal conversation!?"

"Ha, of course not." The invader bluted. Yet, he was looking at Dib with a lack of certainty that the human had rarley seen.

"There is a word for this ya know," Dib said with a smirk. "Its called frienemies." The look of horor on Zims face was enough to send Dib into a fit of laughter. If the little alien had planned on getting Dib on his side, it was going to be harder on himself than on the human, for sure. Zim was not the friend type. In fact, outside of Gir and his AI, Dib had never know Zim to talk to anyone, not even other Irkens. And if anyone should know, it would most likely be Dib, he HAD been watching Zim for years. Maybe it was Zims ego, or maybe, as Dib had concluded, no one wanted to be around the shit head because he was a jerk. 

Zims look of horor didn't last long as it turned into a scowl the minute the human began laughing. Dib could have sworn he even saw a slight flush cross the aliens face which made him laugh all the harder. The Irken mumbled something in his native language before picking up his fork and stabbing at his waffle a few times. The two of them began eating in silence, a permanent frown plastered on Zims face and a soft smile on Dibs. He couldn't help it, Zims frown was as beautiful as his smile. All of him was strange and amazing, from the soft ivy skin to the magenta eyes that reminded Dib of space, of dust clouds and stars. Shit, he really hated that stupid disquise. He just wanted Zim, he wanted those silly anntena that would bounce up and down depending on the Irkens mood. Not because he liked him OF COURSE, just because after all these years Zim was still new and foreign. Or maybe he did like him, but that wasn't something that Dib was ready to accept.

After they were finished, Dib payed the server and the two of them left. The tiny bell on the door rang loudly it slammed shut behind them. "Well, Dib-thing, have you thought about it?" Zim stopped once they were out on the street. The sun had sunk behind a pinkish red horizon while the stars began poking little while holes in the blanket of dark blue sky. 

"Hm?"

"Have you thought about Zims offer?"

"Zim, you didn't offer me anything. But yes, I've thought about it a little. Look, I'm not going to promise you anything, if you want to involve me in your crazy scheems, I can give you my input but if I don't like it, I will try to stop you, as usual." Dib looked up at the moon then back down to Zim. The blue hue of the neon sign was tuning his green skin into a strange teal. God, he was increadible. Zim sighed, fully frustrated with Dibs response. 

"Do you have plans tomorrow?" Dib opened his mouth to answer but Zim cut him off. "Good, then come by my house unit and Zim will show you the lab." Dib stared at him with a confused expression. Was he serious? Before he could answer, Zim turned on his heel and marched in the direction of his house. It was funny to Dib, that no matter how much time had gone by, Zim was and would always remain a soldier.


End file.
